The New Girl
by xXAngelOfTheOceanXx
Summary: Krystina has just moved to Sunnydale, amd is abruptly thrown into Buffy's world of vampires and demons. How will she cope, and will a certain peroxide-bond vamp steal her heart? Rated T for now but may be changed for possible future chapters. ;3 Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Note: I don't own anything other than my own characters... (Unfortunately x3) On with the story!

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><p><em><strong>The New Girl-Chapter One<strong>_

Being the new girl sucked. Eyes bored into me from every angle as I tried to find my first period class without looking at my map, and I was failing miserably.

"Hey, you're the new girl, aren't you?" someone suddenly piped up at my side. I turned to see a black-haired teen with friendly brown eyes prancing beside me like a puppy, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Yeah," I replied with a sigh. Why fight the inevitable?

"Katy, right?"

"Krystina," I corrected him. "But you can call me Krys."

"Oh, yeah, Krys. Right," he replied with an embarassed chuckle. Recovering quickly, he continued, "Well you can call me Xander. And I can help you find your class if you want me to."

There was that happy puppy grin again.

"Sure, why not?" I answered, conceeding defeat. My old school wasn't nearly as big as Sunnydale High, and if I had any hope of making it to Advanced English Lit. on time I was gonna have to swallow my pride.

"So where are you comign from?" Xander inquired after checking out my schedule and tossing his arm around my shoulder like we were old buddies.

"I'm from North Florida," I answered while he practically towed me through the masses of students crowding the hallway. Everyone was still staring at me.

"What grade are you in?" my guide continued, oblivious to said open gawking.

"I'm a Junior," I replied.

"Oh cool so you're a year behind me," Xander said with another trademark smile, flashing slightly-crooked teeth. Then we stopped in front of a classroom and he invited me to join him and his friends in the library for lunch after third period. I readily agreed, since I didn't yet know anyone else and I'd actually been under the impression that I'd be eating alone for at least the next week, and then we parted ways as a three-minute warning bell jangled obnoxiously above our heads.

"See ya later!" Xander called loudly before racing around a corner. I waved at the empty space he'd just vacated before being herded into the room by a throng of teens.

My teacher, Mrs. Peirce, was a stern-looking lady with beady black eyes and dusty gray haired pulled into a severe bun at the base of her wrinkled neck.

"Are you the new girl?" she inquired as I approached her desk, speaking slowly like I was some kind of retard. I may have been a backwoods girl from down south, but I wasn't stupid.

"Yes ma'am," I replied while I handed her my shcedule. Behind me, the rest of the class snickered at the thick southern twang in my voice. Mrs. Peirce ignored them and quickly signed her name on my schedule before shoving it back towards me.

"Introduce yourself," she said, gesturing half-heartedly at the room full of people before burying her nose in a book that looked like it was older than she was. Everybody fell deathly silent as I turned nervously towards them, their eyes freezing me in place. I _hated_ public speaking.

"Um..." I began heasitantly.

"My name's Krystina Marie Montgomery, I'm seventeen years old, and I just moved here from Jackson County Florida about two weeks ago. I have a dog named Tex and my favorite color's blue and I love to ride horses and draw."

An akward silence followed my rushed words and I looked at the teacher to see if she would tell me what I should do now.

"Have a seat," she finally said, gesturing once more towards the rows of untidy desks without even looking up from her book. So with a small gulp I looked around until I spotted an empty seat towards the back of the room and quickly scampered over to plop down in the hard plastic chair.

"Don't worry about Miss Pissy," a little brunette murmured quietly from the desk beside mine as I tried to slow my racing heartbeat. "She's always in a bad mood."

"Thanks," I replied just as softly as 'Miss Pissy' finally set her book aside and stood to begin class.

"I'm April, by the way," the girl continued, holding out her hand and giving me a friendly smile.

"Call me Krys," I said in return, taking her slender hand in my own sun-darkened one.

"Pay attention girls!" Miss Pissy barked, causing us to jump and straighten immediately in our seats, flsuhed with embarassment at being caught. But when she turned her back on us to scrawl something on the whiteboard, I couldn't help but sharing a smile with the other teen.

"See ya tomorrow!" I called to April as students flooded the hallway after the bell rang for the end of first period. She grinned widely and waved in return as she ran off to her next class, and I took a look at my map. She had been nice enough to mark the best routes to my other classes in bright-colored highlighters, and I referenced a neon pink path now as I slowly made my way towards American Sign Language with Ms. Alexander.

_**-Good morning,-**_the plump, middle-aged woman signed wordlessly as I entered the nearly vacant classroom.

_**"Good morning,"**_I replied, signing and speaking at the same time before handing her my schedule to sign. With a pen, I'd like to clarify.

Once she handed the sheet back she directed me to an unoccupied seat right in front of her desk and I settled comfortably into it, setting my bookbag at my feet as more people began to trickle into the room.

_**-So what's your name?- **_Ms. Alexander inquired as she perched on the egde of her desk in front of me.

_**"Krys," **_I told her, fingerspelling my name before saying it again in shorthand. It was something my little sister Skylar had come up with when she was seven, forming the letter 'K' and circling twice around her heart.

_**-How long have you been signing?-**_the older woman continued.

_**"For about twelve years," **_I answered. _**"My little sister was born deaf."**_

_**-So you know what you're talking about!- **_she replied with a nasal chuckle. I noted the tone and ventured to ask if she was also deaf. Usually I wouldn't have even dared to be so rude, but something about her made me trust her. I felt more comfortable around her than I'd felt since moving here. She chuckled again at my question.

_**-I've also been deaf since birth,-**_she told me.

I returned the bright smile she gave me as the bell rang, and when I told her so she turned to begin class.

_I think I'm going to like this class,_ I thought to myself.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two-**_

"Xander?" I called heasitantly as I stepped through the wide double-doors leading into the library. Second period had passed easily, and when I entered third period Math with Mr. Jones I discovered that I once again had a class with April.

"Hey Krys!" Xander called from a circular table further in the cavernous room. Three other people looked up at my entrance, and I felt my skin flush hot. Great, more people staring at me.

"Guys, this is Krystina," the older teen continued as I slowly approached the group. "Krys this is Buffy, Willow, and Mr. Giles."

"Hi everyone," I mumbled shyly. The taller of the two girls, her blond hair up in a thick ponytail, extended her hand to me.

"Nice to meet you," she said with a friendly smile. "I'm Buffy."

"Nice to meet you too," I replied with a return smile.

"How has your first day been so far?" the other girl inquired as I sat beside her. She had a beautiful curtain of auburn hair, and as she spoke she brushed a stray lock back in place.

"It's been okay," I replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"What classes do you have?" Mr. Giles asked as I pulled my lunch from my bag, his voice thick with a Brittish accent.

"I've got Advanced American Lit., American Sign Language, Algebra II, and American Government after lunch," I told him after taking a bite out of my PB & J sandwich. The rest of the lunch hour passed quickly as I got to know everybody. Xander constantly reminded me of a happy-go-lucky puppy dog, and redheaded Willow was one of the sweetest girls I had ever met. Buffy and Giles kept talking about some kind of training program that apparently the blond had been skimping out on as Xander peppered me with questions about backwoods living, but I tuned in to their conversation when I heard them say something about prallel bars.

"Are you a gymnast?" I asked the older girl.

"Not really," she replied heasitantly, sharing a quick, knowing look with the librarian. I didn't miss it. "Are you?"

"Yeah I've been doing gymnastics for years," I answered with a smile, deciding to ignore the overpowering feeling that they were _all_ keeping something from me. I had just met them, so it wasn't my business to pry.

"I bet it's fun," Xander piped up before the short silence could grow akward. "Doing all those flips and jumps and stuff."

"Yeah it's tons of fun," I told him just as the bell rang for us to go to class.

"Hey maybe you should come to the Bronze with us sometime," Willow offered as we gathered our things. "It's the hottest club in Sunnydale!"

"It's the _only_ club in Sunnydale," Buffy retorted, and they all broke into laughter at the joke.

"Sounds like a lot of fun," I said with a genuine smile, tossing the strap of my bookbag over my shoulder. "If I can get some free time I'll tag along."

So I exchanged cell numbers with all three of them before heading off to my final class of the day, waving at them over my shoulder before turning a corner. Maybe this place wasn't as bad as I'd originally thought...

"Be sure to read chapter fourteen and do the section assesment!" my American Government teacher called as the final bell of the day rang and we scrambled madly for the door. After pushing my way through a group of bleach-blond, bubble-gum blowing cheerleaders and nearly tripping over another kid who had dropped his books all over the floor, I headed for the parking lot and pulled my keys out of my bag.

"Hello beautiful," I said lovingly as I came up to my wonderful midnight-black '87 Foxbody Mustang. The sleek surface seemed to glitter in the late afternoon sun as I unlocked the door and settled into the vinyl driver's seat, and the engine purred to life under my fingers. I'd poured every dollar I had into my baby, and she rewarded me by being the best car in existance. I carefully backed out of the parking lot and headed towards the main road with my window rolled down to let in the sultry California air, and I grinned happily as I scared the snot out of some tough-looking jock guy by revving the engine loudly not three feet from him and his prissy foriegn car. _Bet he's never even seen under the hood of that tin can_, I mused to myself with a chuckle before heading across town to small little cul-du-sac where I now resided.

The cramped three-bedroom house was a hard change to make from the cozy six bedroom farmhouse I used to call home back in Florida. I was used to sprawling land and lush grass with a horse or two grazing contentedly beneath the dappled shade of a wide oak; not looking out my window and straight into the neighbor's living room. It was a little disconcerting.

"I'm home!" I called loudly as I walked through the quaint little front door and hung my keys on their respective hook in the kitchen to my immediate right. Instantly I was greeted by a wriggling, bouncing, yapping ball of blue-merled fur that came hurtling down the stairs at a breakneck pace and nearly sent me sprawling as it collided with my shins.

"Down Tex, down!" I giggled girlishly as the Austrailian Cattledog squirmed happily at my feet, his tail whipping back and forth so fast that his whole butt wiggled. "I'm happy to see you too."

"Sissy!" my little sister Skylar squealed at the top of the stairs, her pretty blue eyes lighting up as she pranced down towards me and leapt from the last step into my waiting arms.

"Hey pretty girl!" I greeted, pulling back so she could read my lips. "How was your day?"

"It was great!" she replied, her voice taking on that trademark nasal tone of all deaf people. "I met my translator and his name is Mark and I met a lot of new people at school!"

"That's great kiddo," I replied, setting her on her feet. But before we could continue our conversation I heard my father calling from somewhere in the vicinity of the living room.

"Izzat you?" he slurred loudly.

"Yeah Dad, it's me," I replied, signing at Skylar to wait a minute as I made my way into the crowded room. Boxes lay strewn everywhere, in all stages of being unpacked, and my balding, pot-bellied father was sprawled facedown on the couch with a liquor bottle clutched in his meaty hand.

"Wouldja mind shuttin' that little brat up?" he growled without even looking up. "I gotta damn fricken headache!"

"Sorry Dad," I replied. "Didn't mean to bother you."

He grunted in response and I gave him a disgusted look before turning and going back to where Skylar sat rubbing Tex's belly right where I'd left them.

_**-Did I do something wrong?-**_she signed wordlessly as I picked her up off the floor and headed into the kitchen to deposit her into one of the high-legged chairs at the island.

_**-Nah, -**_I told her._**-Dad's just not feeling well.-**_

Her face fell and with a huffed sigh I set about cheering her up. Just because our father was a poor excuse for a person didn't mean he had to take it out on her. We were only in this situation because our mom had died a year ago and he'd fallen headfirst into the nearest alcohol bottle, not even bothering to do normal things like, I don't know, paying bills and feeding his children and whatnot. So I had become sole provider, but even I couldn't keep up with the monetary demands of providing for a little girl, a drunkard, and a dog with my part-time job at the local stable. So with the meager funds we had left our father decided to uproot us and move across the country where his online sweetheart_ CaliGurrl_22 _was supposed to come take care of us. And she did hook us up with this poor excuse for a home, but I'd seen hide nor hair of her yet, even though Mr. Smooth passed out in the living room was apparently slinking out to go party the night away with her later on.

_**-So do you have any new friends yet?- **_I asked Skylar as I set a plate in front of her. She loved cold pizza, and with misery quickly forgotten the little pre-teen dug in.

_**-I met this really nice girl named Abby,- **_she told me in between shoveling mouthfuls of pizza dough slathered in marinara sauce and pepperoni down her throat. _**-And one girl named Suzie let me eat lunch with her.-**_

_**-That's awesome kiddo,- **_I replied before ruffling her hair and heading upstairs to deposit my bookbag in the room we shared. I took a moment to stare out the window at the other little cookie-cutter houses that lined the silent street in the quickly-fading light, and my heart tugged painfully as I longed for the twilight-painted fields and the giant barn where I'd worked shoveling out manure and taking care of the owner's dozen horses. It was hard work, but I was rewarded well with the familiar scent of leather and horseflesh and the constant companionship of the easy-going animals. With a sigh I turned from the window and headed back downstairs.

"Don't furget ta take that mutt out!" Dad called as I passed the living room, his voice still muffled by the couch's upholstery.

"I won't," I told him, rolling my eyes in annoyance. Skylar had just finished her food and rinsed her plate before sticking it in the dishwasher, and she looked up as she saw me step into the room out of the corner of her eye.

_**-Do you want me to start these?- **_she inquired, gesturing towards the dirty eating utensils.

_**-Please,- **_I replied with a nod. _**-And then go get started on your homework while I take Tex for a walk. But make sure you stay out of Dad's way okay?-**_

She nodded in answer and we shared a smile before I left her to it and grabbed Tex's leash from the hall closet. I whistled just loud enough for him to hear and he came instantly at my call, ears pricked and tongue lolling out the side of his mouth in a happy doggy grin. I hooked the leash to his cowhide collar, gave him a pat, and after locking the door behind me and shoving the key in my pocket we headed out into the darkening street.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three-**_

Tex sniffed eagerly at his surroundings as I strolled along behind him, my hands tucked deep into the pockets of my jacket. The sun had finally set and the streets were devoid of people as we walked steadily along towards a cemetary, and after the dog had whined pitifully for a while I finally caved and unhooked his leash. At our old home we'd never had a need for one, since our land was fenced in, but now in this urban landscape I was supposed to keep him tied. Unfortunately I was a sucker for the puppy-dog eyes, and he was so well-trained that I didn't see the harm in letting him roam when no one else was around. Besides, he would come instantly to my call, no matter what he was doing.

My mind wandered as I meandered along the sidewalk after Tex's fluffy merled tail, waving high like a banner to let me know where he was as he sniffed after one scent or another, but as we came closer and closer to the graveyard across the street his ears began to prick and the fur along his spine began to bristle. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks, his head lifted as his ears curled flat against his skull. A low warning growl grew deep in his barrel-shaped chest as he trained his eyes towards the low brick wall bordering the property, and his whiskers stuck out haphazardly as his lip lifted just enough to show the tip of one ivory fang.

"What is it Tex?" I asked softly as I came up behind him, trying to see through the dark shadows across the empty road. I could just barely make out the lighter shapes of the headstones and... wait a minute. Did I just spot a hint of movement in the inky blackness beneath the branches of a mossy oak?

"Easy boy," I soothed the dog as he stood stiff-legged at my side, full out snarling now as the shape moved once again, heading slowly-but-surely towards us.

"Hey there pretty girl," the shape said, identifying itself as a lean, scraggly-looking guy dressed in a dirt-encrusted suit. Instantly red flags shot up in my mind, accompanied by jangling warning bells. This didn't seem right. I looked closer as the guy easily scaled the cemetary's low stone wall, and a huge shot of adrenaline poured into my bloodstream as my heart began to pound. The guy's face was horribly distorted, with luminescent gold eyes gleaming beneath heavyset brows. He grinned cockily, revealing a hint of needle-sharp fangs.

"What the hell?" I gasped, reeling back in shock. Tex's growl grew in pitch and he snapped his own ivory fangs together for emphasis, causing the guy to pause momentarily as the animal manuvered himself in front of me. But he recovered and smiled even wider before launching himself at us faster than I could let out a decent scream.

There was a flurry of fur, fangs, and dirty black fabric as Tex tried valiantly to defend me, but the guy's skin seemed to be made of rock for all the damage the cattledog's teeth did to him as he pinned me against a rough stone wall.

"You smell good," he hissed in my ear, his tongue darting out to trace a slimy path across my jugular. With a shudder I wiggled desperately in his grasp and brought my knee up against his crotch. Hard. The breath wheezed from his lungs and gagged me with the scent of decay, but his grip loosened just enough for me to twist away. With a curse he bared his fangs at me and lunged, grabbing my wrist in a bone-crunching hold and slamming me once again against the vacant brick building. I saw stars as I dimly heard the shrill barks and snarls telling me that Tex was still worrying the guy's leg like he would a juicy bone.

"Damn dog!" he spat before giving him a rough kick in the ribs with his other foot.

"No!" I cried as Tex yelped and tumbled end-over-end down the sidewalk. I struggled desperately in his grip as painful tears welled in the corners of my eyes, and he chuckled darkly beneath his breath.

"Tasty little girl," he sang happily before leaning once more towards my exposed neck.

"Oh no ya don't," someone suddenly interrupted, and before I could even open my eyes my attacker's weight disappeared. I heard the dull thump of his body landing on the ground a few feet away, and when my eyes finally did open I saw a tall man standing before me with peroxide-blond hair slicked back against his skull. His thick black duster flapped slightly as the other guy scrambled to his feet and they flew at each other, wrestling for the upper hand in the middle of the street. I watched them in stunned silence for a moment, but when I heard a soft whine to my right I turned with a gasp to crawl on my hands and knees to Tex's side.

"Easy boy," I crooned, cradling his head in my lap as he blinked dazedly up at me for a minute. I stroked the silky fur between his traingle-shaped ears and turned my gaze once more to the battle. I was half-hidden from their view by a parked car, and as the two men fought I gasped. A third person had joined the fray.

"Buffy!" I tried to call out as I recognized her thick blond ponytail, but in my state of shock it came out as a choked whisper. Luckily it seemed that the teen and the man were on the same team as they faced my attacker side by side, and with a few practiced moves they had him sprawled helplessly on his back.

"Stupid wanker," the tall blond spat in a Brittish accent as Buffy descended on him with a sharpened peice of wood. In the blink of an eye the guy was reduced to a pile of ashes.

"Holy shit!" I gasped, louder than I'd intended to.

Instantly the two whirled to face me.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four-**_

I stared wordlessly at my schoolmate and her blond companion in shocked silence for I don't know how long. But just as I began to wonder if I was going to get in trouble for witnessing something I shouldn't have (_Murder? _my brain supplied.), Buffy whirled on the taller man.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me whe was there?" she yelled angrily.

"Well wot was I supposed to do?" he retorted, puffing up with indignation. "Ask the chap to wait a minute so I could 'ave a nice conversation with ya?"

"You could've said _something_!" she shot back.

If looks could kill, I thought momentarily while I watched them with wide eyes. As they argued Tex shook his broad head and clambered to his feet. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he licked my cheek in greeting.

"Well I'm sorry if I didn't let ya know soon enough that I was tryin' ta save her soddin' life!" the Brit growled, flinging his arm in my general direction.

Buffy had no answer to his last remark, but merely chuffed a breath out in annoyance and turned once again towards me. I froze in place, wondering what she would do to me. Without thinking me gaze flickered to the spot where my attacker had vanished in a cloud of ash. Already the light breeze had blown most of it away.

"Don't worry," she said in a much gentler tone than I'd expected. I thought she'd be furious or something. "He won't hurt you again."

"What the hell _was _he?" I asked, my voice still laced with the shock of everything that had happened. Unconciously my arms tightened around my dog.

"A vampire," the man told me before Buffy could even open her mouth. She glared angrily at him as he crossed his arms across his well-muscled chest, and then came over to gently help me to my feet. Tex grumbled something in his own language and situated himself between me and them as soon as the older teen let go of my arm.

"But, vampires don't exist," I argued in confusion. "I mean, it's all just stories and stuff."

Buffy heaved a huge sigh and her gaze met mine. For a second I thought they must both be crazy, but I saw pure truth reflecting back from the blond teen's eyes.

"He's telling the truth," she confirmed, as if she'd read my mind.

I shook my head once and ran my fingers through my tangled honey-brown hair as they explained how vampires infested the quaint little town of Sunnydale, along with all other manner of demons and ghouls.

"So, you're a vampire slayer," I clarified when they'd finished. Buffy nodded.

"And you're a vampire." The guy who'd helped save me, Spike, nodded.

"And _no one_ else knows besides ya'll?"

"There are a few others who know," Buffy replied. Then, as if on cue, I heard voices calling Buffy's name.

"Xander?" I gasped in shock as the dark-haired teen came prancing through the graveyard towards us like he did this every night. Which, given the information I'd just recieved, he probably _did_. "And Willow?"

"Oh, hey Krys!" the other girl said with a forced laugh, her gaze flickering nervously between me and Buffy and Spike, as if I'd caught her cheating on a test. "What in the world brings you out here this late?"

"Don't worry Buffy already told me everything," I sighed as I perched on the knee-high brick wall. Tex sat between my knees and settled his muzzle on my thigh with a contented grumble. Now that the danger had passed he was perfectly fine.

"E-eveything?" Willow squeaked in suprise, her mossy green eyes wide.

"She got attacked by a new vamp," Spike supplied as if the short sentence was an explanation in and of itself. Which, aparently it was. I was welcomed into the group with figuratively open arms.

"So now you're really part of the Scooby gang!" Xander chirped with a huge grin.

"The Scooby gang?" I questioned, one brow cocked in confusion.

"Yeah it's what we call ourselves!" he replied cheekily. "You know, out fighting crime and solving mysteries and saving the world one dusted vamp at a time!"

"Gotcha..." I drawled. Then I got to my feet.

"Look," I told them. "This has been an experience and all, but I gotta get home to my sister before she freaks out and calls the cops to come find me or something. I promise I won't tell anyone what happened or whatever, but..." I trailed off with a shrug before hooking Tex's leash to his collar. Of course I couldn't tell anyone, because they would think I'd gone bat-shit crazy.

"Maybe one of us should walk with you or something," Willow pointed out with a worried frown. She kind of reminded me of an overprotective momma hen. "Just in case there are more out there."

The three teens looked at each other in silence, as if waiting for someone else to offer, and finally Spike let out an annoyed sigh.

"I'll go with 'er," he grumbled before stepping over the low wall and stalking off down the street, rolling his eyes.

"Um, thanks for the offer," I called to his retreating back. "But I live the other way."

Buffy, Xander, and Willow chuckled beneath their breath as the irate vampire spun on his heel and stalked back the way he'd come, breezing past us without a word.

"See ya'll tomorrow," I said before waving farewell and trotting off after my chaperone.

"So... you're a vampire?" I ventured after several minutes of akward silence. Spike glanced down at me, because I was at least a foot shorter than him, and then replied,

"Yah, I'm a vampire."

"Then how come you're helping Buffy and the others _kill _vampires?" I continued. "Are you like, a good guy or whatever?"

He grumbled something under his breath that I couldn't make out (probably a curse.), and then unconciously rubbed a spot on the back of his skull.

"I got a soddin' chip in my head," he finally said, his whole frame seething with annoyance and a dark frown on his pale face. "I can't hurt anythin' without gettin' a blazin' pain through my skull." To emphazise his point he stabbed his temple with one slender finger on each of the last few words.

"So you're an unwilling good guy," I gathered, feeling a little sorry for him despite a slight unease in my gut. He was a blood-sucking, sun-hating vampire, after all.

He shrugged and made a slight affirmative noise in the back of his throat as we turned onto my street, and I cursed loudly when I caught sight of Skylar streaking towards us, her cheeks flushed cherry red and wet with tears.

_"Sissy!" _she cried, launching herself into my midriff. I huffed at the impact as Tex wiggled around our legs, tangling us up even further. Spike's brow shot up as I stroked my sibling's messy mop of light brown hair and patted her shaking shoulders comfortingly.

"Told ya she'd freak out," I said simply. Then I pulled away gently to brush the tears from her face.

_**"You should be inside,"**_I told her sternly, slipping the loop of Tex's leash onto my wrist so I could sign as I spoke aloud.

_**"But you never came home and you didn't answer your phone and I got worried 'cause I thought maybe you'd gotten hurt or something and I-"**_

_**"I'm fine," **_I soothed her, cutting off her frantic tirade before steering her towards the house. Spike followed closely at my heels.

"Wot's with all the fancy hand wavin' and whatnot?" he hissed in my ear.

"She's deaf," I replied in a normal tone as Skylar scampered up the front steps and into the house with Tex hot on her trail. The two then raced up the stairs and into the room we shared as I hung the dog's leash back in its place in the closet. I noticed Spike had frozen just outside the door, muttering a string of Brittish and American curses.

"What's the matter?" I asked, my head tilted with confusion.

He heaved a huge sigh that sounded more like a growl. "Can't come in 'less you invite me," he grumped.

"Oh well come on in," I replied with a slight smile, heading into the kitchen as he stepped inside and shut the front door behind him. "You want anything to drink?"

A millisecond later I realized my mistake.

My spine stiffened and my muscles tensed taught as piano wire as Spike sauntered into the kitchen after me like he owned the place, and yet at my shell-shocked expression he merely chuckled darkly and settled into one of the bar stools, hooking the heels of his combat boots in the lowest rung.

"Chip, remember?" he said placatingly, holding up one of his hands palm-out in a gesture of peace. "I ain't gonna hurt you."

I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and relaxed against the counter behind me.

"But about that drink," he continued. "Whaddya got?"

I straightened and turned to the fridge.

"Um... we have sweet tea, Kool-Aid, milk, water, Coke, Sprite..."

"No liquor?" he probed.

I grabbed a Sprite and shut the fridge with a sigh, my eyes inexorably drawn to the spot through the walls where I knew my father would be sprawled on his bed, so drunk he wouldn't've even stirred if you marched the whole school band right in front of his nose. Of course, that would be after he got back from partying it up with his online girlfriend.

"Anything harder than Coke is in there," I told him, pointing across the kitchen before popping the top of my soda.

He paused momentarily at my dark tone, then rose gracefully to his feet to rummage around in the cabinet I'd indicated. He came away with a bottle of Jack Daniels.

"I take it you 'ave a bit of an aversion to this stuff?" he ventured as I set a glass on the island for him.

"My dad's an alcoholic," I said in answer, frowning at the top of my own drink. I couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze. I'd always blamed myself for my father's addiction, even though logically I knew it wasn't really my fault.

Spike was silent as he sipped from the glass, and then he set it down with a soft _clink._

"What happened?" he inquired simply. Part of me wanted to ask just what he was talking about, but deep down I knew what he meant. So I spilled, words flowing forth like water from a broken dam as I gave him a complete rundown of the last few years.

"It's always been hard on my dad, having a deaf child," I told him. "He was never really father material in the first place, but when Skylar was born it started going downhill. If our mom was around he could deal with it, but after she died in a car accident he just lost it. Starting drinking real heavy, stopped taking care of himself, and stopped taking care of us. I'd been working at our neighbor's farm to save money so me and Sky could go to college, but someone had to put food on the table and pay the bills.

"Then the money I'd saved ran out, and when I couldn't find another job we started getting the eviction warnings. After a while I found out my dad had been going to this online dating service, and one night he told us that he'd met a girl and we were going to move out here so he could be with her. She'd even bought us this house to live in. He told us he loved her, and no matter what I said he refused to budge, so we packed everything up and left."

I finally met his gaze as I finished speaking, and I saw pity reflected in the dark irises.

"Where's this girl now?" he inquired.

"Dunno," I answered. "Dad keeps telling us about how he goes out and parties with her, but I haven't met her or talked to her yet."

"And wot about the little one?" he probed. "How's she handlin' all this?" As he said the last words he gestured around the bright little kitchen to indicate what he was talking about.

I shrugged. "Sky's real tough. I know she misses her friends back home, and I do too, but she's dealing. We both are."

We sat in silence for a few moments as I tried to reason with myself just _why_ I'd spilled my guts to this absolute stranger, who was sitting in our kitchen drinking my dad's liquor like he lived here, when Skylar came trotting down the stairs with Tex at her heels.

_**-I'm hungry,- **_she signed wordlessly when our gazes met. _**-Is there any pizza left?-**_

_** "Dunno," **_I replied, speaking aloud so Spike could hear at least my half of the conversation. I knew people felt akward sometimes when they couldn't understand what was being said right in front of their noses. _**"Check in the fridge."**_

__She turned and dug around for a moment before backing out with a wide slice of meat lover's supreme dangling from her mouth. I rolled my eyes at her complete lack of manners and sighed heavily, running my fingers through my hair.

_**-So is he your boyfriend or something now?- **_she asked, all childish innocence and relentless curiosity. I sputtered and choked on my soda, causing Spike to jump and stare at me in surprise.

"Wot did she say?" he asked incredulously. But I only had eyes for my sibling at the moment.

_**-He is NOT my boyfriend!- **_I signed indignantly, aghast that she would even _suggest_ such a thing. I'd just _met _the guy! I barely even _knew _him!

_Yet I'd just basically told him my life's story, _a little voice whispered in the back of my mind. I shoved it away roughly.

But all of my huffing and denial just set her to giggling, and she skipped out of the kitchen with a huge, goofy grin plastered on her face as Tex trotted along after her. I grumped something unintelligble about kids and their nosy habits.

"Why do I get tha feelin' I just missed somethin' big?" the blond in question pointed out as I mopped up the Sprite I'd knocked over on the counter, one brow cocked high.

"Don't worry about it," I tried to play it off, shrugging nonchalantly as I tossed the soaking dishrag into the sink and threw the now-empty can in the trash. He shook his head slightly at my casual attitude, and I knew that he knew I wasn't telling him the truth, but my face flushed red hot at the thought of telling him what my little sister had just said.

"Well, thanks for the Jack," Spike said a minute later, rising to his feet. "But I think I'd better be gettin' back to the others now."

"Alright," I replied, following him as he headed for the door. He stepped outside into the sultry night air, and then turned to face me. "Thanks for everything," I continued, my gaze dropping to his feet. Why was I suddenly so embarassed around him?

He reached out to ruffle my hair, like one would do to a child. "No problem pet," he said before giving me a cocky grin and turning to saunter off down the street, his duster off and tucked into the crook of his elbow as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his black jeans.

I tried not to, I really did... But as he walked away I couldn't help but check out his amazingly cute backside.


End file.
